Disclosure: This could be a sponsored post or contain affiliate links (which means I earn a percentage of the sale), but all opinions are strictly my own.

Remember that ultra cute, very dandy, and super fun wagon that we took on our fall outing last week?

Yep. That’s the one!

The baby is also ultra cute, very dandy, and super fun if I do say so myself. *wink*

(He has some teeth coming in and is constantly feeling with his tongue and sticking it out for pictures.)

Isn’t the wagon just so charming? Our kids simply love this wagon.

The charm is all in that happy face.

My kiddos were invited to decorate the Cozy Coupe Wagon just to show how perfect it is for the trick-or-treating adventures and it is perfect. I mean seriously… why walk from house to house when you can ride in style? And decorating your own ride for the big All Hallows’ Eve??? Even better!

My kids really got into the decorating process. It brought out their creativity and we were able to discuss our plans for the wagon weeks in advance. This family activity has made this year’s Halloween festivities that much more memorable for us so I highly recommend. Ready to see what my kiddos did to their new wagon? Here you go:

Little Tikes sent them the wagon, I gave them the supplies, and they got to work.

Didn’t they do such a boo-tiful job?

Of course in addition to the decorating…

We just had to put our new friend in costume.

After all… Those Cozy Coupe eyes were just screaming to be a ghost.

Do you have any other ideas of how we could have dressed Cozy?

Thanks to Little Tikes we are all ready for trick-or-treating. Are you? It will be here before you know it.

The countdown is on.

Bring on October 31st!

Do you stay in your own neighborhood for trick-or-treating?

Or do you go all over town?

Have a very safe and Happy Halloween!

I did receive the Cozy Coupe wagon from Little Tikes to bring you this posting. However, all opinions are strictly my own.

Disclosure: This could be a sponsored post or contain affiliate links (which means I earn a percentage of the sale), but all opinions are strictly my own.

It really is. Dandy. Fall is. I love this time of year. Absolutely love it. I think that I’ve always been a fan of fall. There’s just something about this time of year that draws me in. It reminds me of things. For starters it tells me that everything is going to be okay and eventually will become anew. After a very long, hot summer the temperatures will start to drop, brilliant colors will form on my favorite trees, leaves will begin to fall, snow will eventually cleanse, and then spring will burst forth The newness happens all because of fall. All because of it. Without fall we would miss out on so much! (If you’ve never experienced a Midwest fall then I highly recommend it. Visit a place that has a real and true fall just once. You will see exactly what I’m talking about. The beauty of it all. Truly breathtaking.)

Everything about this season for me is a memory. My childhood is a big part of this memory. I remember going with my grandparents to stomp through piles of leaves in the parks near Jefferson Barracks. We would leave the pathways to find the biggest clusters of leaves. The crispness in the air was often filled with silence that was then broken by our feet crunching through the giant, untouched leaves. My grandparents would positively glow at the happiness that I expressed on our leaf walks. I knew that they were happy and, as their only granddaughter, I reveled in the attention. The walks were filled with love. They taught me the joy that is leaf stomping and I can never look at falling leaves in the same way again because of it.

This year the change of season has taken on new meaning for me. My feelings toward fall are now bitter sweet. Seven years ago next month my grandfather (the inspiration for the dandy blog) passed away while raking leaves. In a strange way it was almost meant to happen that way. Despite the fact that I was thousands of miles away when it happened… It happened while he was doing something that was so closely connected to me. Something that tied us together. Maybe that sounds silly, but it has become a comfort to me. We lost my grandmother earlier this year. I’ll forever miss our walks together in the fall.

Despite the sadness that I feel this time of year I can still feel the joy of the season. I’ll always have the wonderful memories and I’ve come to love sharing this season with my own family. Spending time out in the fall weather with my husband and children, teaching them about the dandiness that is leaf walks, and taking part in all the fun of the season. There truly is so much to enjoy this time of year. Last weekend we found ourselves at a corn maze with friends. Always a fall gem. It has become a tradition for us to go to this specific maze. Our dandy kids had a great time while building their own fall memories and I was able to reflect on all the many reasons why I love this time of year.

A dandy fall to all!

Little Tikes recently gave my family the gift of the Cozy Coupe Wagon. It’s perfect for all of your fall outings. Stay tuned for the Halloween review.

Disclosure: This could be a sponsored post or contain affiliate links (which means I earn a percentage of the sale), but all opinions are strictly my own.

Can you tell that we like to read?

Yes, we like to read lots.

All winter long and into the early spring we were shut ins around here. So all of our reading took place indoors. We didn’t even venture out to the library. No siree. Why is that? First, it was super cold outside. Second, it was super cold outside. Third, it was super cold outside. Okay you get the idea. It was super cold outside. Then… Don’t even get me started on the amount of snow that was dumped on us. Loads and loads. All winter long. I thought that it would never end. We even got a snow storm when I was postpartum in the hospital with Cache. Oops. I think I must have left that out of Cache’s birth story. Yes, I know that I forgot to put that part in. Basically a HUGE snow storm decided to come rolling in the day after he was born and we weren’t sure if we were ever going to get to leave the hospital. For some reason when it snows in St. Louis the ENTIRE city shuts down. Does that happen in other cities? Anyway, back to our love of books… Now that the weather is simply glorious outside (not too hot and not too humid yet) we can take our reading outdoors.

The chairs are the perfect size for their little tushies and are now their favorite reading spots in the backyard.

I LOVE that my sweet littles LOVE books.

Now… for the giveaway!!!

The winner of this giveaway is going to

receive TWO garden chairs from Little Tikes

in the colors red and orange!

(Enter on the Rafflecopter below.)

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of Monday, June 23rd and will be emailed. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by Little Tikes, but all opinions are strictly my own.

Disclosure: This could be a sponsored post or contain affiliate links (which means I earn a percentage of the sale), but all opinions are strictly my own.

We finished our patio late in the season last year, so we didn’t really get to enjoy it before it started to snow.

But this year we were ready for the spring and summer! In fact we have been dining al fresco for quite a while now.

Basically as soon as it stopped snowing.

That’s why when my friends over at Little Tikes (Yes, I said LITTLE TIKES *squeal*) offered to send us a picnic table for our kiddos I jumped at the chance. And of course you know what that means… If I get one then one of YOU gets one, too! *SQUEAL* from you, right?!

The Easy Store™ Picnic Table with Umbrellais amazing. Seriously dandy. As soon as it came Banjo had to open the box immediately. He even starting dragging the pieces from the front entry to the back patio. Fortunately for me it require no tools to put together. I’m all about the ease of things like that. The entire table just snaps together and the instructions were super easy to follow.

Here we are at snack time:

And then dinner time with cousin H:

My kids cannot get enough of their new table!

What’s more??? It stores aways really dandily.

And now… The moment you have all been waiting for…

The GIVEAWAY!!!

The winner of this giveaway is going to receive an…

Easy Store™ Picnic Table with Umbrella

from Little Tikes!

And the crowd goes wild!!!

(Enter on the Rafflecopter below.)

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.*The winner of this giveaway will be drawn no later than the evening of Monday, June 16th and will be emailed. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.*This posting and giveaway are sponsored by Little Tikes, but all opinions are strictly my own.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This could be a sponsored post or contain affiliate links (which means I earn a percentage of the sale), but all opinions are strictly my own.

Remember how Banjo had a birthday a couple of weeks ago? He’s now this many:

Well, this year Banjo was the very lucky recipient of a birthday present from our favorite people over at Little Tikes! We love Little Tikes around here especially this time of year. The toy fair was back in February which means the new toys for 2012 are on their way out and some of them will be featured right here on Dandy Giveaway! So you better pay close attention over the coming weeks and months for great giveaways from Little Tikes, Lalaloopsy, Bratz, and Moxie Girlz. 🙂

First up is Little Tikes! They sent us the amazing TikeStix Clubhouse set and Banjo loved the birthday present! There are a few different sets from the TikeStix line, but the Clubhouse set is right up his alley. Plus, it’s a great activity for him to work on with his daddy:

With TikeStix kids can create from the plans that are included or they can construct their own ideas. The possibilities are endless with these great building sets! Plus, all the sets have interchangeable pieces:

And….

One very lucky winner is going to receive their own set of TikeStix.

Winner’s choice of either the Clubhouse or the Playhouse set:

A $58 value!

*This giveaway is open to US entries only.

*Winners are not notified through email, so you have to check back to find out if you won! The winner of this giveaway will be posted on Monday, May 7th. Be sure and check back then to see if you won, so you can claim your prize![Read more…]